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The Eastern Ontario Health Unit is urging people to go out and get that flu shot. It’s not too late, said Linda Cleroux, manager of the Vaccine Preventable Diseases program.

“It’s difficult to say if it (the influenza outbreak) is as bad as last year,” said Cleroux. “But it’s definitely earlier than last year.”

Cleroux said last year the EOHU started seeing flu activity in February and March, but this year they have seen the start of activity before Christmas.

“It just slowly has continued to increase,” she said. “I don’t even think we are at our peak. There is a fair amount of influenza activity right now and we are seeing some outbreaks in some of the long-term care homes, so it seems like it’s an active, heavy year this year.”

Cleroux said this means getting the flu vaccine is more important than ever.

“We encourage everyone to get it every year,” she said. “But with the influenza activity circulating now, it’s really important to protect yourself and the vulnerable individuals you may be around.”

Cleroux said the vaccine is available for anyone aged six months or older. The people who are the most vulnerable are young children and the elderly, 65 years and older, and people with chronic health conditions.

“We highly encourage pregnant women to get vaccinated,” she said. “You want to consider if you are going to deliver during influenza season, you being protected as well as that baby who can’t be vaccinated until six months.”

Cleroux said all the people around the baby should be vaccinated so they won’t bring the illness near the baby.

“The thing with the influenza virus is that people are often infectious before they exhibit symptoms,” she said. “Some individuals will exhibit milder symptoms so they may not know they are infectious. That’s where some of the challenges lie. Sometimes they are feeling a little off and by the end of the day they are feeling really lousy. They have been infectious all that time.”

Cleroux said the numbers of individuals getting the vaccine are similar year after year.

“People are accessing the vaccine either through their family doctor or pharmacist and our clinics,” she said. “But we are not seeing an increase in our area of the number of people getting the vaccine.”

What will it take to get people to take this more seriously and get that vaccine?

“It’s really a question of protecting yourself and protecting the people you care about,” said Cleroux. “Although for some influenza may seem like a mild illness, for others it really is debilitating and can be fatal, particularly for those in a vulnerable group. Many of them end up with serious infections and complications from the influenza and they can succumb to the disease. So for the sake of your loved ones, it’s extremely important to get the vaccine. It’s safe and it is effective.”